It's a Big Blue Dell computer customized and shipped to me.  I did add some ram and a new graphics card --but the rest of it is how it came from the factory.

So I need to find all my drivers,  and copy them to CD,  can I put them on an external hard drive?  Then I have to aquire windows XP,  and all the programs I'm running liked PSP9 and various games,  then I wipe out everything.   Another question here -- isn't the bios what tells the thing to read the download CD.  So how would I go about wiping and replacing that.
I really think I just need to "Accidently"  delete everything,  and take it to the geek squad to fix it.   I'm just afraid if I try to do it I will end up with no computer at all.

Does it make any difference if someone who knows things ran a Hijack this on it,  and took out the stuff that looked like it didn't belong to any program that is supposed to be on here.   Or that I'm running half a dozen anti malware programs (including one that flags securom).

Thanks for helping,  and sorry for jabbering -- I just got off work,  and I need sleep.

 

I'll have to go see how much it costs for a new XP disc -- because I can't replace this computer -- I'm still paying for it.  I'll be back in a couple weeks for sure to be asking for more help.

Ok,  please don't send me to retardo land,  but do I need a windows xp disc to reformat?  The computer came with XP on it,  I didn't get a disc.  And I don't really have a clue how to reformat.

Zazazuu --They gave this computer back because all the bad stuff was on his computer not this one.   And I know that neighborhoods are supposed to be in my sims folder,  but they aren't there at all.

It won't let me copy the neighborhoods from the CD -- keeps giving me an error message about cyclic redundency,  and then freezing up windows explorer.   Looks like I'm just going to have to uninstall and re install all the discs -- which I was trying to avoid.

I just got my computer back after the Feds had it for two years,  and they Fubared half the stuff on it.  (Long story short --hubby is now doing 14 years in prison for what he was doing on the computer.)

They are not in my program files nor my documents file -- and I've lost the registration codes long time ago.     Is there any place I can go to redownload the nieghorhoods without a prolonged search for all my registration codes,  and without having to  reinstall all my games over again.
I've seen the clean sub neighborhoods,  but they won't do me any good unless I can get the actual neighborhoods back.

From the little I know the Windows firewall will block some incomeing stuff,  but it does not block out going stuff -- so it allows things to "phone home".

I found if a guy has really rough stubble then an electric shaver is the worse thing to use -- at least the worse thing for me -- I can't go near a guy with the "dirty face" "5 o'clock shadow thing"  and electric shavers always leave enough to irritate me.
Either save close with a blade,  or have at least an inch of facial hair -- no in between for me.

Yeah,  I knew where babies came from when I was 6.  The social worker brings them.  (My mom adopted her last several children -including me)

It also seems to be that the state government at least doesn't care about houseing either -- since the projects are subsidized -- the tennet pays 50 dollars --the state pays the other $550.   For that amount of money they could put the welfare beneficiaries in regular garden appartments.  (Garden Apartments here are the ones that are two stories with 4 appartments and a central stairway,  with grass and trees out front.  Usually have about 20 to 40 units per complex -- although I used to live in one very large complex with 150 units).

The main problems I have with socialized medicine are 1) we keep hearing about people in Canada who have to spend their own money to come to the US for surgeries,  because the waiting list is so long.  2) I've heard that countries like Canada and England are not doing medical research because there is no money to be made in research,  and 3)  my own beleif that medical insurance itself is what has driven up the price of medical care.     My mother in law charges $50 dollars an hour if are paying for it yourself,  $100 if insurance is paying (because they are only gonna give her 50 of it anyway),   and $175 if it's a prisoner or someone else the goverment is paying for (they end up paying her 75 or 100 dollars -- but they are usually really sick) (Mother in law is a pychiatrist.)  Most doctors charge everybody the same -  so if you don't have insurance you can't afford care.

Well that pretty well explains why she's got more than me -- I am one of those Auntie types.

Looks like I scared everone away -- I'm sorry!!

now lets not get carried away here -- I don't know about having kids -- borrowing is better -- I can give them back when they need changing.

Sammie's got more electronic toys than I do --

That's the one Brynne 

I don't know enough about forums to separates the quotes from my reply -- so I'm gonna copy and paiste.

Are 'projects' housing areas where only people on benefits are supposed to live? -- The projects are where no one wants to live unliess they have too.  The worse one in this city was buildings  a city block square -- 28 stories high -- I think 10 units per floor-- and the way to get to each front door was open air "sidewalks"  on each floor -- enclosed in chain link fence.  4 buildings -- with no play areas except the walkways and sidewalks and no green spaces at all.   There's more room an privacy in a habbitrail (plastic hampster habitat).

  No, because as you go on to say, so many people have their snouts in the trough. So why would you penalise beneficiaries for copying the greedy behaviour of those more well off?
  I'm not trying to say penalise the beneficiaries -- I just beleive the beneficiaries will be getting anything by the time the government gets done with it.  And in other posts I've stated that under the rules of giving everyone a living wage,  the way the real poor would loose out,  is that some folks who are working might decide not to -- so they will be taking instead of contributing -- reducing everyone's share of the pie.     I would really be more willing to hand my money over to the Catholics to distribue,  than to let the government get their hands on it,  and I'm not even Catholic.

If that's true, it really sucks.   Tell me about it.  Spent the tobacco money,  and then had to lay off 230 social service and health department employees to ballance the budget.

I thought that's what Greg was saying, less bureaucracy, not more, then there's more chance of the money getting where it was originally intended.

I'm not talking about less bureaucracy -- I'm talking about less government period.
If I lived in a bunker somewhere and had to kill and skin my own dinner,  then I would not actually be beholden to the government.  The more  Uncle Sam gives the more he takes away.   That's one of the reasons that I think that this country didn't free the slaves,  we just changed the terms of servitude.   If you depend on others for the bare essentials,  then you have to follow their rules.  (but then this just gets into another one of my pet rants about the American Civil war)

  :)Hope you are having a wonderful day,  helping mommy play sims and post messages.

With the Jefferson Airplane reference in the name of the thing,  do they expect an old hippy not to know what it really is.

Don't remember where I downloaded it from -- but there is a hack of this object that does blow smoke instead of bubbles.

But after been on the other side of the desk for 18 years,  I am of the opinion that people like you are more rare than you might like to think.     I've even seem it in my ex's family.    Ex hubby grew up poor,  mom's on welfare,  got 6 kids from 4 different men,  but Ex manages to get himself a well paying job as a longshoreman.  So does he get a house or condo for his mom and little sister to live in (the other kids were away from home by then).  Heck no,  he moves into the projects with her,  and gives her half his pay under the table.  One of the reasons he is my ex is that I turned them in.  Too many people grow up on welfare think they or their family are "entitled" to it.    If my older sis had not seen fit, or been able to take care of mom when we got grown,  then I would surely not have run off to be a bum like I did.   That's basically what I ment that you should take care of your own family.

And again -- I don't trust the government with money.   For instance -- do you know what State Governments are doing,  and being allowed to do with the tobacco settlement money-- that they sued to force the tobacco companies to pay for medical care for smokers -- The Feds handed out the money with no stipulations of what it was to be used for,  so instead of earmarking it for the stated purpose -- to keep the state from having to subsidize my emphesema -- the treated it like a windfall,  lotto win.   We got new roads,  farms got bought so we could build new state offices in the western part of the state.  The governer built a new fence around the state house to keep his dog from getting loose,  oh yes,  and tax breaks for people to build ugly oversized hotels.  The Department of Health and Mental Hygene got no one penny of the money -- not for Medical care,  research or even anti smoking ads.     All this in a state that was so far in the red that they had cancelled all cost of living , seniority or merit raises for state employees,  and he have had a 20 year hireing freeze. 
If I didn't have elderly family members to care for,  I think I'd live in a bunker like JM.    I'm a layed off State employee who truely beleives that we need less government,  and not more.

Sim host -- is that liberal leave like the state of Md -- if you have vacation time you can use it,  if not then you'd better show up.

         I don't trust the government,  any government to make a fair distribution of the money.   I know that all the money they are taking now for Social Security tax isn't going to social security payments,  and I don't see how giving them more taxes to distribute to more people is gonna make them any more honest.
And after seeing the way the elderly,  and even the not so elderly feel about Social Security,  I really don't think Socialized everything is a good Idea.    SS was supposed to be a supliment to your pension and savings,  so that you wouldn't have to be old and poor.    But a lot of the people of the generation now retired,  decided that since they were getting Social Security,  they didn't have to save.    We saw the,  I'm gonna retire next year,  lets remodle the house and buy a new car syndrom.  These are now the people who are fussing that the government isn't giving them enough money or enough medicaid.   (those statements were made based on the behaivor and attitude of my older step siblings).  Between SS having to be the sole support of some elderly,  and the government fiscal irresponsibility,  my generation is in the position of having no SS,  and not having enough money after taxes to save for retirement,  much less buy a new car or re model a house.

I know my views are unpopular,  but I truely beleive you are your families responsibility,  not the govenment's.    I also beleive the more "help" you get from the government,  the more freedom you give up.

Which kind of leads to another unpopular oppinion,  if more people in NOLA had had jobs,  historically over the past 50 years or so,  they would have had a tax base,  and could have fixed their own levee's,   rather than have to beg government aide (the city begging,  not the citizens)

Oh,  now you guys are making me want to borrow a toddler from someome.

  Hi Sammie

More likely probably -- they are hopeing to collect on the insurance

Why not,  maybe she will be able to raise the cumulive IQ of the newbies.

Just don't let her read the troll posts.

Probably mad because she was making out with someone he didn't have a friendly relationship with.

just wanted to bump this back to the first page so it doesn't get lost.

And to say that I am praying for everyone in the area of the Storm